D’Tigress Replace Sam Vincent With Otis Hughley

Sam Vincent was sacked by the NBBF as coach of D'Tigress and has now been replaced.

The Nigeria Basketball Federation has appointed Otis Hughley
as an immediate replacement for Sam Vincent who has been fired as Head Coach of
the senior women’s basketball team.

The appointment of the former NBA Coach was finalised after
the NBBF leadership approved his program for the D’Tigress’ participation at
the World Cup in Spain.

NBBF President, Engineer Musa Kida said the leadership of
the federation settled for Hughley as it became apparent that he is the “most
immediate available option.”

Kida emphasized that since Sam Vincent was not sacked
because of poor results but that based on issues surrounding conflicting
professional engagements, it was wise to replace him with a coach that will be
readily available.

“We needed to take a proactive step in the interest of the
team who are preparing for the World Cup. We needed to fill the vacuum
immediately and continue our preparation for Spain.

“For many, parting ways with Vincent at this time was not a
good decision, but it was a difficult decision we had to take in the overall
and long term interest of the team.”

Otis who had previously led Mobile's LeFlore High School,
Alabama, USA to six state tournaments and one state title before getting hired
as an assistant coach by the Sacramento Kings in the NBA will henceforth lead
the D’Tigress team.

The federation is optimistic that Hughley will bring his
wealth of experience to bear on the team as they prepare for their World Cup
campaign.

“We still have about 50 days to train and get ready for the
competition and we are confident that the time frame will be enough for any
good coach to train and shape a team into a strong contender.”

He American will be introduced to the entire squad later
today before their evening training session and will be assisted by Peter
Ahmedu and Shola Shomala.

Paired in Group B alongside Argentina and
Turkey, the current African champions will start their World Cup campaign
against Australia on Saturday, 22nd of September.